MyVU Latest Headlines
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Vanderbilt co-hosts inaugural Defense Tech Leadership Summit in West Palm Beach
Vanderbilt University co-hosted the inaugural Defense Tech Leadership Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, convening leaders from business, government, defense and academia in a city emerging as a hub for defense and high-technology innovation. Read MoreFeb 23, 2026
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Bestselling author, professor Arthur C. Brooks to deliver 2026 Graduates Day address
With Commencement rapidly approaching, the university has announced that award-winning author and professor Arthur C. Brooks will receive Vanderbilt University’s prestigious Nichols-Chancellor’s Medal when he speaks at the university’s 2026 Commencement activities. Read MoreFeb 19, 2026
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Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science names Jason Merchant as new dean
Jason Merchant, a national leader in higher education and vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Chicago, will be the new Searcy Family Dean of the College of Arts and Science. An internationally renowned, award-winning professor in the field of linguistics, Merchant will also hold an endowed chair in philosophy at Vanderbilt. Read MoreFeb 19, 2026
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Special Collections’ collaborations with faculty spark student immersive learning
Among the artifacts librarian Mary McSparran selected from Vanderbilt’s Special Collections and University Archives for a pop-up exhibit last fall were a NASA space suit and a journal listing books about UFOs. Neither would seem a likely choice for a literary salon, where the exhibit was on display, but this was no ordinary discussion of writers and their works. The gathering was part of a growing collaboration between Special Collections staff and Vanderbilt faculty, in which the curators and archivists play an active role in teaching by offering students access to unique materials that bring their coursework to life. Read MoreFeb 18, 2026
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Vanderbilt 10th among private research universities for research investments
Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center rank 24th nationally in the National Science Foundation’s 2024 Higher Education Research and Development Survey, with combined research and development expenditures of $1.33 billion. The ranking places Vanderbilt 10th among private research universities. Read MoreFeb 16, 2026
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From Nashville to New York: A Vanderbilt love story turns historic
Vanderbilt is viewed as a launching point in many ways; it’s a place where careers take off, friendships flourish, talents and passions are discovered, new experiences are welcomed, and campus traditions create lasting memories. For Dani Klafter and Sam Blum, Vanderbilt is all of that and more: It’s where their paths crossed, setting the stage for happily ever after and an unintentionally historic proposal. Read MoreFeb 13, 2026
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Vanderbilt announces fall 2025 internal research funding award recipients
Vanderbilt University has announced its fall 2025 recipients of the Seeding Success, Scaling Success and Rapid-Advancement MicroGrant Program awards, providing internal funding to help faculty launch new research directions, strengthen proposals and compete for major external grants. Read MoreFeb 9, 2026
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine to headline the 2026 Asness Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats
As the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of War, and National Security Council, General Caine brings unmatched perspective to this year’s Summit theme: The Shadow of War, The Illusion of Peace: National Security in the Age of Asymmetry. Read MoreFeb 5, 2026
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Vanderbilt launches Amplify Generative AI Innovation Center within College of Connected Computing
Vanderbilt University’s College of Connected Computing has launched the Amplify Generative AI Innovation Center, a “living laboratory” that will catalyze ethical, human-centered use of generative and agentic AI in research, teaching and learning, student success, administrative operations, and external partnerships. The center is co-led by Center Director and Professor of Computer Science Jules White and Chief AI and Technology Officer Allen Karns. Read MoreFeb 2, 2026
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Vanderbilt’s Center for Global Democracy becomes U.S. home for the Comparative Study of Election Surveys
Vanderbilt University’s Center for Global Democracy is the new U.S. institutional home for the Comparative Study of Election Surveys, a leading global resource for understanding elections and democratic governance. This move strengthens Vanderbilt’s leadership in global democracy research, building on three decades of international collaborations and the CSES’s reputation as the premier source of comparative electoral survey data. Read MoreJan 29, 2026
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Warm Up & Recharge at Vanderbilt: Community warming center is open through Monday, Feb. 2
Following the recent winter storm and widespread power outages, Vanderbilt University is opening the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center to faculty, staff, students and members of the larger Nashville and Middle Tennessee community in need of a safe, warm place to rest and recharge. Read MoreJan 29, 2026
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A Legacy of Access and Success: The Levy family’s impact at Vanderbilt
In 2024, as Opportunity Vanderbilt celebrated its 15th anniversary, Trustee Robert “Bob” Levy, BA’72, and his wife Diane S. Levy demonstrated their continued commitment to student access through a transformative $1.1 million matching gift initiative. The program, which inspired 22 alumni from the graduating classes of 2000 to 2025 to make their first endowed gifts to the university by establishing Opportunity Vanderbilt scholarships, reached its goal more than four months ahead of schedule by August 2025. Read MoreJan 22, 2026
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Vanderbilt Institute for Therapeutic Advances launches to redefine drug discovery and biomedical innovation
New drug discovery institute brings together AI, genomics, systems biology and translational research to accelerate cures for major diseases. Read MoreJan 21, 2026
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Vanderbilt earns its first Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching have announced the institutions that earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement for 2026, and Vanderbilt University is among them. This is Vanderbilt’s first time receiving the classification. This designation honors institutions that are deeply committed to working alongside their communities. It recognizes colleges and universities that build strong, mutually beneficial partnerships; connect community engagement to teaching and learning; and apply their knowledge and resources to help address real-world challenges. Read MoreJan 15, 2026
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Vanderbilt launches ‘250 Conversations on America’ to mark nation’s 250th anniversary through civil discourse
Beginning this month, 250 Conversations on America: Civil Discourse in Action will bring together students, faculty, staff, alumni and the broader community for a wide-ranging series of public events and smaller conversations across Vanderbilt’s Nashville and New York City campuses. Led by Dialogue Vanderbilt, the initiative will serve as the university’s signature contribution to the national celebration, modeling how to “agree and disagree better” at a moment of profound civic complexity. Read MoreJan 15, 2026
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Vanderbilt University to establish full-time academic campus in San Francisco
Vanderbilt University has announced plans to establish an academic campus in San Francisco beginning in 2027, subject to necessary regulatory approvals. The planned campus expects to serve about 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students and support sustained faculty, staff and academic activity. It represents the next step in Vanderbilt’s strategic growth and builds on the university’s recent expansions in New York City and West Palm Beach by extending Vanderbilt’s distinctive academic model into one of the world’s leading centers of creativity, technology and entrepreneurship. Read MoreJan 13, 2026
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Vanderbilt expands multi-tool AI strategy with ChatGPT Edu, Amplify 2.0 and more
Vanderbilt University expands its generative AI tool and training to include community-wide access to ChatGPT Edu, Amplify 2.0 and Grow with Google, part of a multi-tool approach to powering advancements in research, education and operations. Read MoreJan 12, 2026
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Vanderbilt surges forward with West Palm Beach campus, launches broader fundraising effort
Ushering in a new age of ambition and innovation as a multicampus university, Vanderbilt University announced today that it is proceeding with a planned graduate campus in West Palm Beach—and launched a new $250 million phase of the fundraising campaign for the project. Read MoreJan 12, 2026
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Vanderbilt Poll: Tennesseans’ economic anxiety surges, transcends party lines
Tennesseans across the political spectrum are worried about the cost of living. In its latest statewide poll, Vanderbilt University found that economic anxiety has increased since President Donald Trump took office in January. That anxiety runs the gamut from paying for unexpected expenses, such as a medical emergency or car repair, to covering basic monthly bills and saving for the future. Read MoreDec 11, 2025
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Vanderbilt School of Nursing and HealthStream launch educational partnership
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and HealthStream have partnered to bring Vanderbilt’s academic and practice expertise to nurses everywhere through a library of microlearning and continuing education modules. The partnership will make professional growth more accessible, relevant and holistic for working nurses nationwide. Read MoreDec 8, 2025